I love this campaign developed by my teammate and very devoted fundraiser, Mike Hull.

11 reasons why $11.11 donations are NEEDED.

1.Approximately 1.4 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer globally each year.

2.Approximately 456,000 people worldwide die from the disease each year.

3.Somewhere in the world, a woman dies from breast cancer every 69 seconds.

4.In the past 25 years, incidence rates have risen approximately 30 percent in westernized countries.

5.Why let another mother, sister, father, friend or even a stranger die from breast cancer…when we can fight back?

6.$11.11 is the amount a typical person spends on lunch in one day…can you eat in one day and a make a small but VERY worthwhile donation?

7. Susan G. Komen for the Cure paid for more than 600,000 breast screenings in 2009!

8.Susan G. Komen for the Cure has raised more than $1.5 billion to fund research, advocacy and community programs since Komen was founded in 1982.

9.Your donation can and will save safe a life.

10.Cancer sucks….please help stop it!

11.Why not donation….really….why not? All donations benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Mike Hull is walking 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-day event hosted in mid-August and has a goal to raise $11,111.11. Mike walks because his mother currently has stage 4 cancer and he needs a cure (her birthday this year was 1/11/11)! You may not know Mike, but what you need to know is the mission of Eleven-11 and Susan G. Komen, which is to find the cure for breast cancer! Please help! Please pass this on. Donations accepted on the Susan G. Komen website, http://www.the3day.org and search for participant Mike Hull or the direct link is http://www.the3day.org/goto/InHonorOfJean.

We did it. In a little over two weeks, Ta Ta Breast Cancer will walk in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure for the 4th year. 30 minutes ago, we reached an enormous milestone–$400,000 raised in the past 4 years. $400,000 funding life-saving research in the fight against breast cancer. Thank you to every walker, donor, crew member and fundraiser who’ve helped us reach this goal over the past 4 years. Together we WILL say goodbye to breast cancer forever.

Only three more weeks until the big walk, and we are in serious prep mode. This weekend we are doing back to back training walks–15 miles Saturday and Sunday. And I just got our brand new 2011 shirts–can’t wait for the team to see them.

We are excited to share the 2011 Susan G. Komen 3-Day Michigan cheer sections and hope you’ll come cheer us along the way. If it’s 95 degrees, bring popsicles, bags of ice and anything else cold.

Last week we had our 4th annual family rooftop party at 24 Seconds. The weather was iffy making the rooftop party an indoor party. Nevertheless, it was was a huge success–our biggest yet with $1,400 raised for our 3-Day team. A big huge shout out to many businesses that helped with great raffle prizes:

Shirtbox

24 Seconds

Dr. Paul Darmon

Bordines

The Pink Fund

Ecology

Ace Hardware

The Tiger Foundation

Jazzercise Royal Oak

Priss Salon

Hagopian

Accupuncture Healthcare Associates of Michigan

Jeans Gone Green

Mark Cohen Photography

The Zap Zone

And another big shout out to the members of Ta Ta Breast Cancer (and the kids) who helped sell raffle tickets, collect great raffle items and helped promote this event.

We are quickly approaching $95,000. $15,000 to go to reach our big giant goal of $400,000 in 4 years. Please help us get there for all the women still fighting, the women we’ve lost, our daughters, our mothers and our friends. We need your help to say goodbye to breast cancer forever.

I always loved the saying “Starting a blog is a lot like adopting a dog, you have to figure out how to feed it for the next 13 years”, which is probably why I don’t have a dog. I’m seriously guilty of neglect but life, work and kids get in the way of blogging. It always feels good to find my way back to my blog for a quick little post.

So, here’s an update. Outside of work, kids and lots of sporting events, I’m quickly shifting into 3-Day mode. We are 46 members strong including our 4 members of the crew. We’re moving into a very busy fundraising season, beginning to think about shirts, hats and visors and most importantly starting some long training walks. I am proud of our fantastic fundraising–we’ve raised neary $75,000 prompting me to increase our goal for 2011 to $110,000. If we reach $110,000, our team will have raised $400,000 during our 4th year walking just after I celebrate 4 years as a survivor.

Outside of making a donation, there are many great ways to support our team. If you can join us at an event, purchase from our vendors or help us in any other way, we would be extremely grateful. If it’s easier for you to make a donation, we love those too.

On June 4th and 5th, stop by 306 Normandy in Royal Oak for a massive garage sale. All proceeds benefit our team.

Fun Night at 24 Seconds in Berkley
June 20 6pm-9pm
Great food, drinks and raffle items. Bring the whole family for lots of fun. Got any great raffle items to contribute, let me know.

Ongoing Fundraisers
Get rid of those creepy crawlers and help fight breast cancer. Pest Arrest can help with all your pest control needs including bees, wasps and mosquitoes. Call them today and mention Ta Ta Breast Cancer and 10% will come back to our team. Call 248-246-1850 to schedule your appointment.

Window and Carpet Cleaning
In Home Window Cleaning, call 248-599-8000, mention Ta Ta Breast Cancer and 10% will go to our team

Cutest Sandals in town for a great cause. You save 10% and 20% will support our team when you mention Ta Ta Breast Cancer.

Do you need any Mary Kay products? Trisha, a Mary Kay representative has agreed to donate 10% of all sales to Ta Ta Breast Cancer Team. If you would like to order any products, you can contact her at harper.marykay@gmail.com. Or shop 24/7 at her personal website. Just mention Ta Ta Breastcancer.

From June 1st-June 15th, we’ll be doing an online party at Thirty One Gifts. Look for the Ta Ta Breast Cancer event and 15% of all sales will go into our fundraising accounts.

Thinking ahead, I’m hoping to plan two theater fundraisers for the 2012 walk–Wicked and Shrek are both coming to town so be sure to stay tuned for more information on these great shows.

And finally, there’s still time to join in this life-changing experience. If you’ve ever had an interest in walking, just do it. Join us today and find out how great it feels to become a part of something so big, to truly make a difference, to help crush cancer one step at a time.

Thank you always for your tremendous support of Ta Ta Breast Cancer and the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. Together we can say goodbye to breast cancer forever.

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In less than 1 week, I will celebrate my 40th birthday. Many people have asked me how I feel about turning 40 and I can honestly say, I’m excited. Getting older beats the alternative and unfortunately, I know far too many people who haven’t had the opportunity to celebrate a 40th birthday. I’m lucky beyond belief and I’m taking this week to reflect back on my 30s and where I am today. My family and close friends have asked what they can buy me for birthday. And I can really only think of one thing that money can buy that would make me very happy. It’s not immediate gratification. The results take time but we are seeing the results every day. I know with perseverance, great brains and the power of people, we can and will make my dream come true. I’m asking for an end to breast cancer, an end to the pain of chemotherapy and surgery, an end to suffering the great trauma and loss of losing a loved one. If you are one of my friends or family that wants to know what I want for my birthday, I’ll make it easy for you. You can contribute to my 3-day journey to end breast cancer or you can make a contribution to FORCE, an organization that is working very hard for me and so many others.

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I never thought my blog would turn into a way for me to say goodbye and show my admiration and respect for true cancer heroes. But here I go again. This week, I said goodbye to a beautiful, inspiring, and wonderful woman. I sat among throngs of people at Ira Kaufman Funeral Home to hear about Suzanne’s life . . . how she touched people everywhere she went; how she was always far more concerned about others than herself, even when she was battling for her life.

Suzanne came into my world when I needed her most. She fought stage II breast cancer 1 year before me, and I could always count on her for a pep talk, advice, inspiring cards, and some great hats. Her hats kept me warm all winter long and made me remember that it wouldn’t be too long until I was done with them.

With Suzanne at the 2008 3-Day

In 2008, Suzanne and I both walked the Breast Cancer 3-Day. We held hands as we walked into closing ceremonies. We were both survivors, done with treatment. We had beaten cancer. Less than 1 year later, Suzanne’s cancer was back and she was unable to walk with her Suz Cruise team. Members of my team tucked pictures of Suzanne into our packs and prayed throughout the entire weekend that Suzanne would once again beat cancer. It was a much tougher road this time–the cancer had spread . . . but a miracle drug started killing those cancer cells. And in 2010, Suzanne was walking again. She not only walked; she was the top fundraiser in Michigan for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day. And she signed up to walk again in 2011.

Suzanne was passionate about contributing to find a cure. She wanted her girls to know a world without breast cancer. For Suzanne, I will fight harder than ever before. I will continue to walk, raise awareness, and fight this terrible disease with a goal to fulfill Suzanne’s dream and the dreams of so many others. For Suzanne and all women, we will say goodbye to breast cancer forever.

Happy 2011! It’s day 2 of 2011 and my mind is already shifting toward warm summer days and long walks with good friends. It’s about now when I start longing for a good long training walk to Birmingham or through downtown Royal Oak with members of my team who become like a big giant family. The 3-Day is so much more than a 3-Day walk–it’s an opportunity to meet new friends, spend hours walking and talking and enjoy the great outdoors all summer long. So many people worry about the training, and well, the training is really one of my favorite parts. In the craziest of raising three kids, working and taking care of a house, my training walks are an opportunity to focus on me. And because I’m truly training and not just working out, it becomes somewhat of an obligation that I cannot skip.

And then there’s the fundraising. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to ask for money. But when you truly believe and see how this money is saving lives, it makes it a whole lot easier. Without raising money we can’t conquer this disease. I love our annual fundraiser at 24 Seconds, our summer bash to end breast cancer, our shop for a cause, our annual theater fundraiser and our newest bartending event at Lily’s Seafood. So if you’re thinking about walking with us and looking for a fundraiser, feel free to grab one of these ideas. I’ll give you the tools and help you along the way.

A great auction item

All the preparation culminates in 3 amazing days of hope, friendship, love and lots of pink. Most people will tell you it changed their lives forever. You will feel an energy you’ve never felt before and experience something so powerful, so emotional and so wonderful. Words don’t do it justice. Just try it once and you’ll be hooked. If you’ve walked the 3-Day before, post a comment, share your thoughts, help me convince others to experience the 3-Day first hand. Join our team, our giant 3-Day family and train with us, fundraise with us and walk with us next August.